Calling All Cheese Lovers

From freshly made Chèvre to ripened Camembert-style cheeses and aged Cheddar, the annual Washington County Cheese Tour will delight palates and enthrall cheese lovers of every age. On Sunday, September 8, several creative farmstead cheese makers in Washington County will open their farms to the public. Participants will be driven through lush, rolling hills and bucolic countryside. The only prerequisite is an appetite and interest in learning about and sampling award-winning local cheeses and enjoying the changing colors of our famed maple trees.

At each farm, (Argyle Cheese Farmer, Consider Bardwell Farm, Dancing Ewe Farm, and Moxie Ridge Farm), guests will sample specially selected cheeses while experiencing firsthand the region’s long-standing cheese making traditions reaching back to the nineteenth century. All are active farms, raising cows, sheep, and goats that supply the milk for the cheese-making process. In addition, the group will be visiting Victory View Vineyard, a small farm in rural Washington County that grows the grapes for all their wines on their farm, and handcrafts and bottles all their wines at their farm winery.

Premiere Transportation will take the group from The Beltrone Living Center at 9 a.m. and we expect to be back at approximately 4 p.m. Please note: This outing will involve walking at the farms and will require getting on and off the bus five times. We suggest you wear comfortable shoes/clothing and be prepared for the weather. Attendees may also want to bring a small cooler and ice packs to preserve cheese purchases and other farm bounty. A recently awarded NYS grant is partially assisting with the transportation cost of this outing. To cover the cost of a boxed lunch, snacks, some transportation fees and other expenses, a nonrefundable fee of $30 will be charged. Space is limited. To make a reservation, please call Colleen Henry at 518-459-2857 ext. 325.